On Legislation

Legislation with partisan support only, sucks.
Legislation with bi-partisan support, sucks more.

On Relief

Since a miserable 2-16 start to the 2010 campaign, the O's have gone 8-8 in their last 16 games. These against Boston (4-0), New York (1-5), Minnesota (2-2) and Seattle (1-1).

The biggest difference has been the back end of the bullpen. Alfredo Simon was converted from starter to bullpen for 1 week while still at AAA Norfolk, then promoted and plugged into the O's bullpen as closer. He's got 4 Saves and 1 Hold in 5 Appearances.

Koji Uehara was activated from the DL and has 3 Holds in 3 Appearances.

Will Ohman has taken over the 7th inning role and has yet to allow a Run in 11 IP.

On Language

Main Entry: mys-ter-y

Definition: jihad

Usage: The car bombers motive is a mystery.

On Satisfaction

Baltimore swept a 3 game series from Boston over the weekend. It is the first O's series sweep of Boston in Baltimore since 1974.

And with Julio Lugo sitting on the Orioles bench:-)

On Language

Main Entry: un·ex·pect·edly
Definition: again
Usage: Jobless claims rise, unexpectedly.

Main Entry: mostly peaceful
Definition: violent
Usage: Protesters were mostly peaceful.

On Second Firsts

Cla Meredith and Alfredo Simon recorded their first career Major League saves in back to back games this past Sunday and Tuesday, respectively.

The last time two Orioles recorded their first career saves in back to back games was May 7th and 8th, 1977 by Mike Flanagan and Scott McGregor.

On Government

You will find that the State is the kind of organization which, though it does big things badly, does small things badly, too. - John Kenneth Galbraith

On Respite

The O's get a much needed day off today (needed for me, anyway) before starting Boston's turnaround tomorrow in Fenway Park.

While the pitching is much improved over last year, the snakebitten O's have 4 blown saves, the closer they traded for in the offseason is on the DL and their best pitcher from 2009 has been demoted to AAA Norfolk.

The defense started well, committing one error in the first 7 games, however, they've committed 9 more in the last 9 games.

The offense is horrible. With no sign of improvement. Leadoff hitter Brian Roberts is on the DL. Felix Pie replaced Roberts at the top of the lineup and hit .400 til he went on the DL. No one is hitting. No one advances runners. No one can bunt. No one takes pitches. Everyone makes outs. Quickly. The O's offense is painful to watch, but at least it's over quickly.

On Nostalgia

My nephew took me to the O's game last night for Matt Wieters T-shirt night. Brian Matusz took the hill for Baltimore and for 7 1/3 innings he was masterful, twirling a 2 hitter (both were bunt singles), striking out 8 and generally mystifying Rays hitters.

I even went so far as to advise my nephew to appreciate the pitching performance he was witnessing and remarked on how I use to see this kind of thing twice a week back in the McGregor/Flanagan days.

But, with one out in the 8th, the Rays abruptly solved the rookie and strung together 4 consecutive hits, 3 of them on first pitches, plating one run and loading the bases. Two more hits off of Orioles relief pitching turned a 3-0 O's lead into a 5-3 deficit. The O's eventually lost 8-6 in 10 innings.

Oh well, at least I got to see Julio Lugo on the O's bench:-)

ORIOLES: Sick & Tired

As a lifelong Oriole fan, I am sick and tired of the BS emanating from The Warehouse and Front Office.

Under the "leadership" of Andy MacPhail, the Orioles have finished in last place two consecutive years, with the worst records in franchise history. Essentially, he "threw away" two seasons, then declared that in 2010, the team would be "judged by wins and losses."

So what's he do to UPGRADE the team in the offseason? Nothing.

Aside from the Kevin Millwood trade, no improvements were made to the Last Place team. We replaced Melvin Mora with Miguel Tejada, and told Tejada that he was moving positions (from shortstop to third base). We replaced Aubrey Huff with Garrett Atkins and told him (as well) that he was moving positions (from third base to first base).

So, we're stuck with the same team...and they're off to an un-inspiring 1-5 start.

Expected? Yes. This team was simply not constructed to win.

It's obvious that Peter Angelos doees not care. Since purchasing the franchise in 1992-93, Angelos has presided over three winning seasons in 17 years of ownership.

Three winning seasons. His track record speaks for itself.

And someone please show me, exactly, what MacPhail has accomplished here.

Two trades (Bedard and Tejada) netting Adam Jones, with little to show for the Tejada deal. Otherwise, most of the "core" players on Baltimore's current roster were drafted or cultivated by former Vice President of Baseball Operations Mike Flanagan, or even Jim Beattie.

Andy MacPhailure and Peter Angeloser. It's time to run these bozo's out of town.

On Favorites

Julio Lugo is the newest Oriole. He's owed 9 million dollars for this season. And the Red Sox have to pay all of it. $9M of Red Sox money will, most days, be sitting on the Orioles bench. I love this guy!

On Congress

Update: This guy claims it's a joke.

COLUMN: Easter Weekend with the Mentzers

The Mentzer family will join millions around the world this weekend in celebrating Easter, with our traditional observance of the Christian holiday.
We’ll gather around Grandma’s kitchen table high atop the hills of Hellam near York, and then hunt eggs in her backyard.
(No, there will not be a wiffleball tournament. My faithful readers will have to wait until Memorial Day for those results.)
The Easter Bunny duped myself, brother Mike, sister Jamie, and cousins Meagan and Davey two years ago.
You see, we were informed that there were large, plastic eggs (containing cash) hidden somewhere in Grandma’s yard, so we searched frantically for an hour, but to no avail.
Turns out, the Easter Bunny (aka Uncle Stan) had our eggs inside the house the entire time.
Uncle Stan defends his actions to this day, calling it a “learning experience” for his nieces and nephews. We sure learned our lesson: always check with Grandma first.
So to all of you out there in the Gettysburg Times readership area, I wish you a splendid Easter with your families.
May you all find your eggs with little difficulty.
~ Scot A. Pitzer, Times Staff Reporter.

On Breakfast

Fun and tasty.

On Spring

It looks like a stormy April on the horizon for the Baltimore Orioles. Of the 22 games on the schedule, 16 are in the AL East with 13 of those against the Rays, Red Sox and Yankees against whom the O's were 16-39 last season. Those 16 games are sandwiched around a 6 game west coast road trip where the O's have long been poor performers.

Although not officially announced, the starting rotation appears to be set. Kevin Millwood, Jeremy Guthrie, Brian Matusz, Brad Bergesen and David Hernandez.

Millwood has had the worst spring of the group by far. Given his track record, though, he gets a pass and is reasonably expected to be ready to pitch on Opening Day.

Guthrie has also had a bad spring. He looks just like he did last season, walking batters and then giving up the home run. I expect another long season for him and suspect he may be ruined (mentally) for Baltimore. O's management has always had more patience than I in these situations, and I hope it pays off this time.

Matusz (rookie), Bergesen (sophomore) and Hernandez (sophomore) have had solid springs. While this is a bright spot, it is unreasonable to expect the youngsters to carry the load, but that is what will be needed for the Orioles to weather the month of April with their heads above water.

In the bullpen, Koji Uehara will most likely start the season on the DL with a bad hamstring (the same problem that put him on the shelf in 2009). Nagging hamstring problems at his age may mean he won't pitch again. This is a significant loss because of the flexibility a healthy Uehara could have provided to the bullpen in terms of long relief, short relief, closing and spot starting.

Kam Mickolio impressed last September and was expected to be in the bullpen in 2010. He's hurt and will likely not make the team.

In the field, Brian Roberts missed most of the spring with a herniated disk. He's been in the lineup the last several days and appears to be healthy.

Nolan Reimold (expected to be the starting left fielder) is nursing a sore achilles heel from offseason surgery. He started the spring o for 21 at the plate and limping. His bat has heated up lately with 5 multi-hit games and no noticeable limp. There remains some question as to whether he's strong enough to play every day. Felix Pie will likely be the Opening Day starter in left.

Other than that, the O's are healthy. Adam Jones (CF), Nick Markakis (RF) and Luke Scott (DH) have posted solid springs and appear ready to play. Miguel Tejada (3B), Garrett Atkins (1B) and Cesar Izturis (SS) are veterans, healthy and can reasonably be expected to deliver their standard performances once it counts.

Promoting a welfare state

COLUMN: 03/27/10

It’s no secret — I’ve always turned to my brother Michael for medical advice.
In fact, when I was a junior at Biglerville High School and having trouble with health class, Mom asked me who I’d call if she was choking on food.
“Mike,” I replied, unaware that the correct answer was “9-1-1.”
My brother’s explanations for common, everyday medical symptoms are amazing, because of their relative simplicity.
“I’ve had a stomach ache for two days,” I’ll tell my brother. “Quit eating Doritos, pizza and wings,” he’ll reply.
Runny nose? “You probably just have a cold,” Mike will tell me.
Throbbing headache? “Go to bed at a decent hour,” he’ll reply.
Itchy eyes? “It’s allergy season,” Mike will often say.
So, it’s no surprise to me that after eight years of schooling (including the Penn State-Hershey School of Medicine), Mike is starting a residency program at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
He’s hoping to be a family practitioner someday.
I always knew he was destined for greatness.
After all, I’d call him instead of 9-1-1.
~ Scot A. Pitzer, Times Staff Reporter.

On the O's

The bad news is that Brian Roberts ailing back, which he has repeatedly claimed is not a serious problem, but has, nevertheless, kept him out of the lineup all spring, now has him in Baltimore seeing a back specialist.

The good news is, not having Roberts in the lineup in no way hinders the O's chances of winning a pennant.

The Governor Visits Gettysburg

Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell talks to Gettysburg Times reporter Scot A. Pitzer about the state budget, an Adams County gaming project, and other topics.

Read the complete transcript at www.gettysburgtimes.com/blogs.

On Public Education

"If you saw Sunday's Free Press that shown Robert Bobb the emergency financial manager for Detroit Public Schools, move Mark Twain to Boynton which have three times the number seats then students and was one of the reason's he gave for closing school to many empty seats."

- Otis Mathis, Detroit Public Schools, Board President

On Desultory Philippics

On the Orioles

!@#$%^^&*

On Professors

What a professor is, to the Left and the Right.

On Blizzards

There is a silver lining.

On Shakespeare

Tibia, or not Tibia.
That is the shinbone.

On the Super Bowl

Free Advice readers predicted New Orleans the winner of the Super Bowl by a 54% to 46% margin.

Result: New Orleans 31 Indianapolis 14

On a Good Gag

This is one.

You Write the Caption

Guess it wasn't a good idea to sit directly behind the Scorer's Table.

On Retirement

Kurt Warner recently retired from the NFL. He is one of two quarterbacks to start in the Super Bowl for two different teams. Can you name the other?

COLUMN: Gettysburg Times - 01/30/10

A little old lady approached me Wednesday afternoon near the hot food aisle at Kennie’s in Gettysburg, and asked me about the “lineup scenarios” for the Biglerville-Bermudian wrestling match tonight.
“I think it’ll be decided by 10 points or less,” she predicted, adding that she purchased her ticket “as soon as they went on sale Tuesday morning.”
The match was reportedly sold-out within 48 hours.
“I tell you what,” the blue-eyed lass continued, “Bermudian has had a pretty good team the past couple of years.”
Well, yeah, they advanced to the state tournament in 2007-09, and even took second place there two years ago.
That’s pretty darn good, in my humble opinion.
“But the Canners - - - they’ve got that tradition up in Biglerville,” she continued. “They like to pin people.”
She paused, before smiling: “I graduated from Biglerville in 1948.”
Momentarily, she unzipped her winter jacket to reveal a camouflage sweatshirt, emblazoned with “C-A-N-N-E-R-S” on the front side.
Seconds later, she asked me who I’m rooting for tonight. I explained to her that I have to remain neutral, since I work at the newspaper.
Next thing I know, she planted a boot upon my derriere.
Lesson learned.
See you all in line four hours before the match starts.
~ Scot A. Pitzer, Times Staff Reporter.